


A Careless Man's Careful Daughter

by Jules1980



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: A/U, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-08-29 14:37:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16745881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jules1980/pseuds/Jules1980
Summary: How can you believe in love when the only example you've ever believed in is falling apart in front of you?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own Nothing.  
> Special Thanks to Rynnsama and Kristi for beta-ing this story!

* * *

 

**October 1983**

* * *

Rebecca Anne Kreese walked into the Cobra Kai dojo after school.  Her dad was already working with his younger students.  The elite class, the boys her age, wouldn't be in until later.  She could have gone home.  Her mom had Thursdays off, but she enjoyed the extra time alone with her Dad between classes.  When she went home after school, she was always pressed into babysitting her younger sisters, whom she loved, but they could be pains. And this was the one afternoon she didn't  _have_  to babysit them.

She waved at her dad before ducking into his office to wait for class to be over.  She pulled her books out and started on her homework.  That was another plus to going to the dojo, she could work in peace without the twins vying for her attention.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” Kreese said, sticking his head into the office.  

“Hi, Daddy,” she smiled.  

“Can you do me a favor?  Open those pay envelopes and record who's paid and get the bills ready for me?”  He pointed to a stack of letters on his desk.

“Sure thing,” she replied, closing her book and picking up the envelopes.  

An hour later, she had the payments recorded and bills ready to go out with those who hadn't paid yet.  Normally, her mother came down and did this, but lately, her mother hadn't been helping with the dojo as much as she used to.   She passed out bills to the younger boys as they filed out and had the ones for the elite class waiting on the edge of the desk.

“Thank you, Honey,” Kreese said, sitting down at his desk and looking over his ledger.  

“You're good at bookkeeping, ever consider making it a career?”

“You have four classes, Dad,” she smirked.  “I'm not sure that would pay enough to support adult me.”

“Smartass,” he muttered, grabbing the bank bag off the desk.  “Come on.  We'll walk this down to the bank, then stop at the cafe for some pie and coca-colas before the boys get here.”

“Okay,” she agreed, happily.  

He locked up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the block.  Ten minutes later, a pretty hostess with curly brown hair showed them to a booth beside the window of the Orient Express Restaurant.

“How was school?”  He asked after ordering.

She shrugged.  “Okay.”

“Just okay?”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, picking at her pie, trying to avoid eye contact.

“Do you have any classes with your friend, Melissa?” he asked.  

“She moved, Dad,” Becca said, looking up.  

“She did?”

“Yeah,” she laughed, lightly.  “At the beginning of the summer.  Haven't you noticed that she hasn't been around?”

He shrugged.  “I just figured she had a boyfriend or something.”

“Well, she does,” she replied, taking a sip of her coke.  “But he lives in San Antonio, where she lives now.  Her Dad was transferred from Germany to Fort Sam Houston.  They moved to be with him.”

“Well, that's good for her,” he said.  “I know Tom missed them.”  

“Yeah,” she took a bite of her pie, hoping he wouldn't keep asking about school.  

She didn't really have a lot of 'friends'.  She had people she could hang out with and was friendly with, like Ali Mills and her group, but she kept to herself a lot.  She'd been an Army brat for the first half or more of her life, picking up and moving at a moment's notice to whatever base her father was stationed at or hospital her mom was sent to.  Eight years ago, her dad had resigned from the Army and her mom had taken a position at the VA hospital in Encino, so they hadn't moved since then, but part of her still expected to have to leave everyone and everything again, so she never really got close to anyone.  Except for the only other Army brat in the school.  And now she was alone again.  

She took another bite of her pie and looked out the window.  Bobby and Tommy were already waiting outside the dojo.  She pointed them out to Kreese who just shrugged.

“They're early.  They can wait,” he said.  “I'm having pie with my favorite girl.”

“Dad,” she groaned, covering her face with one hand.  “Don't let Emily or Amy hear you say that.”

“Favorite girl over ten,” he amended with a laugh.

“What about Mom?”

“You're her favorite girl over ten, too,” he said.

She smiled but noticed that he avoided answering.  She let it go, choosing to ignore what she knew for the afternoon.  

After a few more boys were gathered outside the dojo, John gave her the keys and she went to open the dojo while he paid the bill.

“Hey, Becca,” Bobby said, stopping by the office while the rest of the boys rushed on to the locker room to change into their gis.

“Hey, Bobby,” she said.

“Here.”  He held out an envelope.  

“Oh, awesome,” she replied.   “Then you don't need this.”  She picked up his bill and threw it in the trash.  

“No, I guess not,” he said, lingering by the desk.  

He looked at her school books stacked on the corner.  “You're taking American Lit this year?” he motioned to the book on top.

“Oh..., um..., yeah,” she said, shyly.  

“You know, if you get Mrs. Brady to start talking about Danielle Steele, she'll talk for the whole hour and you won't have to do any class work,” he smiled.  “It's good two or three times a month.  Unless she's talking about Edgar Allan Poe.  Nothing will get her off that subject.”

“Good to know,” she smiled.

He looked like he was going to say something else until her Dad came into the office and clapped him on the shoulder.  

“Do you need something, Brown?”

“Um..., I...,” Bobby started.

“He was dropping this off,” Becca said, holding up his payment envelope.

Kreese nodded his approval.  “Go get changed.”

“Yes, sir,” Bobby said, hurrying out.  

* * *

 

“What are we doing here?” Johnny asked, irritated.  

“Just chill,” Bobby said, looking up at the house in front of them.

“I'm here to see Kreese kick his ass when he rings the doorbell,” Dutch smirked, pulling his gloves off.

“Shut up.” Bobby rolled his eyes.

“You do realize that it's 10:30 at night, right?” Johnny asked, looking at his watch.  “Dutch might not be that far off.”

“I know.”  Bobby got off his bike, grabbed a handful of pebbles by the street, and walked to the side of the house he knew Becca's room to be on, and started tossing them lightly against the window that was still lit up, hoping it was her room and not her little sisters'.  After a minute or so, the window opened, and Becca looked down, barely able to make him out in the light of the street lamp.

“Bobby?!  What are you doing?” she laughed softly, trying not to be too loud.

“I want to ask you something,” he replied.  “Come down here.”

“I can't,” she replied shaking her head.  “My parents are still downstairs.”

“Please?”

“Sorry.”  

“Fine, then I'll come up,” he replied.  

He crept closer to the house and began to climb the rose trellis that ran up the side of the wall.

“Do you see this idiot?” Dutch threw a look at Johnny, motioning to Bobby.  “He's gonna fall and break his neck, and I'm leaving his ass when he does.”

“Same,” Johnny said, looking on with a mix of amusement and horror.  “I mean, I like him and all, but not enough to explain to Sensei what the hell he was doing, climbing up to Becca's window at night.” 

“You idiot,” Becca laughed when he was close enough to talk to her.  “How did you know that thing would hold you?”

“I didn't,” he shrugged.  “I just wanted to talk to you.” 

She covered her face with her hands again, sure that she was probably as red as a tomato.   “Oh my gosh.  You're going to fall.”

“Nah, I'm fine,” he replied.  “So, I was wondering...,”

He was interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door.  She slammed the curtains shut and spun around fast.  

“Come in.”

Bobby knew enough to duck down as John opened her bedroom door.  

“What are you doing?” her father asked, looking at her suspiciously.  

“Just looking out the window,” she shrugged, trying her best to sound calm, quite sure she was failing.

“Well, okay,” he said, looking unconvinced.  “Shut the window and come on down.  Your mom has been calling you to come wash the dinner dishes.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, hastily.  “I was wearing my headphones.  Tell mom I'll be right down.”

“Yeah,” he replied, still looking at her.  She was acting strangely.  He shook his head.  “Come on down,” he repeated, closing the door behind him as he left.  

A case of the giggles overtook her as she turned back to the window, a feeling of relief washing over her.  “You're going to get yourself killed.  Better talk quick.”

“No joke,” he agreed.  “Listen, would you go with me to the Halloween dance?”

“What?” she laughed in earnest this time before realizing that he was serious.  “Yes.  Yes!  Now get down before you fall!”

“Great,” he grinned, climbing two steps higher and sliding his hand around her neck and bringing his lips to hers in a soft kiss.   

“I'll see you at school tomorrow.”  He kissed her again quickly before climbing back down to the ground.  

Becca touched her lips as she watched him climb down and wave at her before disappearing back to the street.  She closed and locked the window then squealed to herself.  Bobby Brown just asked  _her_ to the Halloween dance and he kissed her.  

This was the best night ever.

* * *

Rebecca was sleeping soundly when little hands began to shake her from both sides.

She sat bolt upright and snatched her headphones off her ears.  

“What?!  What is it?!”  She flicked on her lamp to see Emily on the right side of her bed and Amy on her left.  “Do you know that’s how some horror movies start?  You’re lucky I didn’t slap one of you or something,” Becca gasped, her heart racing.

“We’re not allowed to watch scary movies,” Amy said, blankly.

“Yeah, I know,” she replied, confused.  “It’s after midnight.  What are you two doing up?”

“Mom and Daddy are fighting again,” Emily reported.  “Can we sleep with you?”

“I’m sure they aren’t fighting.  I’m sure they’re just… talking,” she finished lamely, not knowing what else to say.

“Loudly,” Emily said.

“And with mean voices,” Amy finished.  “So, can we sleep with you?” 

“Sure,” Becca said with a yawn.  She pulled the covers back and sat up on the edge of her bed.  “Get in.  I need to go to the bathroom.  I’ll be right back.”  

But she didn’t go to the bathroom.  She crept out into the hallway and carefully pressed her ear to her parent’s bedroom door and listened.  

“So, you just want to uproot everything and move again?” John said.

“We moved with you plenty of times,” Cara Kreese replied.  

“I didn’t have a choice, Cara.  You do!”

“Not really,” she shot back.  

“You want to move for a promotion,” he said.  “I moved us because I was told be there or be considered AWOL.  You can decline this position and keep what you have.”

“And when will I get another chance like this?”

“We have a life here.  The girls have friends.  I have a business.  You were happy with your job until  _last week_.” Becca could hear her father sigh in frustration. “We told Becca when we moved here that she wouldn’t have to leave all her friends ever again.” 

“Open your eyes, John!  Becca doesn’t have any friends.  She spends all her time with the twins, or with you at the dojo,” Cara hissed.  “She won’t mind moving.”

Rebecca shook her head and went back to her room.  

“They’re fighting, aren’t they?” Amy asked.

“Yeah,” Rebecca finally admitted.  She got back in bed and pulled the blankets up around all of them.  “It’ll be okay.  Just go back to sleep.”

“Becca?” Emily yawned.  

“Yeah?”

“Are Mommy and Daddy going to get a divorce?”  

“No.  Go to sleep.”

“Tommy Crenshaw’s parent got divorced and he had to move to San Diego,” she replied. 

“Well, you aren’t Tommy Crenshaw and Mom and Daddy aren’t his parents,” Becca said, putting her arm over them and snuggling closer to them.  “Now go to sleep or go back to your room.”

* * *

When Becca woke up, the twins were back in their own beds.  Daddy must have moved them during the night.  

She wondered when or if her parents had gone to sleep.  She laid in her bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what she had heard the night before.  She didn’t want to move again.  Maybe she didn’t have any friends, but she liked it in Reseda.  She liked her school, she liked their house, and she wanted to go to UCLA when she graduated, and she wanted to be able to come home to see her family whenever she wanted.  

She sat up and looked at her window and smiled.  Bobby asked her to the dance.  She couldn’t believe he climbed up the trellis just to ask her out.  For one horrible moment, she considered that it had all been some big joke, some stupid dare from Johnny or Dutch designed to piss off her dad more than to ask her out.  

Except Bobby wasn’t like that.  He wouldn’t make fun of her like that.  Dutch would.  Tommy would probably be enticed to join in.  Johnny would if she was anyone else, but not Bobby or Jimmy.  They rarely if ever joined in when the other boys were being obnoxious and teasing girls.   

She quickly dressed for school, then helped Emily put her hair in a ponytail and braided Amy’s, before heading downstairs.  She grabbed the stair rail and spun around on the landing before coming to a stop.  Her parents were already up and in the kitchen.  Whatever they had been fighting over the night before must have been resolved as her mom was sitting on her dad’s lap, smiling and laughing at whatever he’d just said.  

Rebecca wondered what the compromise was.  Were they moving again?  If so, when?  She hoped it wouldn’t be until after the Halloween dance in three weeks.  

“Kid in the room,” she announced loudly, though if she was honest with herself, she was more than happy to see an affectionate moment between the two of them. It seemed like they were becoming few and far between.  

“How do you think we got kids?” Cara teased, but she got up and kissed Becca on the cheek, not so subtlety wiping some of her lipstick off in the process.  She knew her mom was going to say something about her red lips.  She was only allowed to wear pink tones.  

“Nice try, Darling.  Want some breakfast?”

“I’ll just get cereal,” Becca replied, wiping at her lips.  She hugged John.  “Morning, Daddy.”

“You ready for school?” he asked, patting her arms.  

“Yes, sir.  And Emily and Amy are up and dressed.  I put their hair up and they were arguing over the toothpaste when I came downstairs,” she replied.

“Thank you, Baby,” Cara said, setting out three bowls, a box of cereal, and milk.   “Can you watch them tomorrow?  I have to fill in for one of my floor nurses.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said, fixing her cereal.  

She looked at her parents.  She needed to ask about dance.  Part of her wanted to keep it secret a little while longer, but knowing her parents, they’d be fighting again by the time she got home from school and this might be the only chance she got without Amy and Emily around.  

“Um…, I got asked to the Halloween dance.” 

“Oh, Honey, that’s great,” Cara replied, pouring herself another cup of coffee.  “But you know the rules.  Do we know the boy?” 

“Actually,” she hemmed.  “It’s Bobby.”

“Brown?” John asked.

“Yes, sir.”  She looked up at him, nervously.

John set his coffee cup down and leaned back in his chair.   “I knew that little punk was up to something yesterday.”  Truthfully, he was impressed.  It showed balls.  More balls than Brown usually showed, except in competition.  It wasn’t happening, but he was still impressed.  

“He isn’t a punk, Daddy,” she replied, rolling her eyes.  

“Isn’t he older than you?”  John asked.

“We’re in the same grade.”  She couldn’t date anyone older than her or that her parents hadn’t met.

“That doesn’t mean that he isn’t older than you.” 

“I was born in December.  There is only one other person in my grade who isn’t older than me,” she said, exasperated.

“There you go.  Date him.” 

  
“It’s a  _her,_  and she has a boyfriend so…,” She looked at Cara.  “Mom, make him be reasonable.” 

“We’ll talk about it,” Cara promised.  “Now, go speed your sisters up.  They’ve had enough time to brush their teeth ten times over.”

“Yes, ma’am.”  She put her bowl in the sink and ran upstairs.

“John...,”

“I am being reasonable, Cara,” he interrupted.  “I hear the way those boys talk about girls.  My daughter isn’t going to date one of them.”

“I’m not going to tell you to be reasonable,” she replied.  “I’m going to say to be realistic.  First, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Bobby Brown and you know it.  You’ve been teaching him since he was 10.  He’s a good kid.  Second, telling her who she can and can’t date isn’t going to end well and third, we’ve already told her that she could go to the dance so whether he picks her up and they go together, they’re going to be together at the dance.  At least this way, we know what she’s doing.”

John rolled his eyes.  “Fine. I guess it’s okay.”

“Besides,” Cara grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.  “If he does turn out to be a jerk, you can always body slam him and call it teaching.”

“There is that,” he replied with a laugh.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Make out movies and economic lessons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing.

* * *

“I can’t believe you asked Becca to the dance,” Johnny grinned, punching Bobby lightly in the shoulder, in the parking lot where they and the other Cobras were working on Dutch’s bike.  

“Wait?  What?” Jimmy asked looking between the two boys in confusion.  “Becca Kreese? You asked Becca Kreese to the dance?”

“Yeah,” Bobby shrugged.  “Why not? She’s cute, she’s sweet, and she’s fun.  And she saved Dutch’s ass at the Denver tournament when she pretended that she was the one pouring water off the hotel balcony onto Sensei’s head.”

“She was,” Dutch gave him a look.  “I told you! She started that!”

“Sure, she did.  That’s why Sensei wanted to kill you.”

“Well, that’s because she didn’t tell me she was using a straw and I tried it with a whole cup.  Now he’s going to kill Bobby,” Dutch shoved Bobby, grinning. “Especially if he catches you spiderman-ing your way up to her bedroom window again.”

“What?”  Jimmy laughed.

“You two picked the wrong night to have to study,” Dutch chuckled.

“Yeah, instead of asking her at the dojo, like a normal person, he went to her house at ten thirty last night,” Johnny snickered.

“I was going to ask her at the dojo,” he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as he defended himself.  “But then Sensei came in and had his hand on my neck. I didn’t want to die."

“So, what does he do to not die?” Dutch asked, holding his hands up.

“He climbs up the freaking trellis under her bedroom window,” Johnny supplied with a grin.

“That thing was swaying, I knew you were going to bust your ass.  Then you almost fell. I was torn between running and wanting to hear you explain to Kreese why you were climbing in Becca’s window in the middle of the night,” Dutch said.

“I didn’t almost fall,” Bobby clarified, sending a glare in the others direction,  “I ducked. Sensei walked in her room while we were talking. And I didn’t climb in, just up to.  There’s a difference.”

“Oh, I’m sure  _ he _ would have seen that distinction,” Johnny nodded in mock agreement.

“I would have baled off from the top if he’d come one step closer to that window,” he rolled his eyes with a  grin. “I seriously considered it when he was just standing in her doorway.”

Rebecca slowed her steps as she reached the school.  She saw Bobby and his friends in the parking lot. She wondered if she should go over to them.  Normally she would have at least said hi but now, she didn’t know, it seemed presumptuous. Not to mention the thought that this was all some joke was still nagging at her.  She stood by a column and bit her lip, trying to decide what to do. She finally decided to just go to class. Yes, she would have to walk by them, but she wouldn’t stop and talk.  That would work. 

At least that was the plan. When she stepped out from behind the column, Bobby saw her and grinned widely, loping over to her and taking her books.

“Hey, Becca,” he said.

“Hi,” she smiled back.  

Bobby walked with her to their first class and sat down in the seat beside her to talk.  That was normally Randy Vausman’s seat and he wasn’t too pleased to find Bobby in it when he got to class a few minutes later.

“Move it, Brown,” he demanded.

“Just a minute,” Bobby said, still planning on moving when class started.

“This is my seat,” Randy insisted, slamming his books down on the top.  “Don’t you normally sit in the back with the rest of the Cobra jerks?”

_ Cobra jerks? _  Bobby turned towards him and grinned, leaning back in the desk, crossing his legs in front of him, and folding his arms across his chest.  Normally, Bobby would have let slamming his books down slide if it hadn’t been for the ‘Cobra jerks’ thing. Besides, everyone knew Randy just wanted to sit there so he could hit on Tammy Anderson, who sat on his right side, and who had absolutely no interest in Randy.  He could be a Cobra Jerk. With pleasure. 

“Don’t see your name on it.”

“I sit here every day.”

“Not anymore, you don’t.”  Bobby’s grin becoming a smirk as he shrugged.  “Why don’t you go sit over there in the ‘don’t stand a chance’ section?  That is, unless you think you can  _ make  _ me move.”

Randy seemed to be deciding if he did think he could make Bobby move when Dutch and Tommy came in. 

“Is this dweeb bothering you?” Dutch asked, looking Randy up and down, then over at Bobby.

“Nope,” Bobby replied.  “He was impatient to get his seat and told me to go sit with the rest of the Cobra jerks.  So, I told him that unless  _ he _ can move me, he should go sit with the other losers.  He’s trying to decide if he can actually move me.”

“Ah.”  Dutch cocked his head to the side and looked at Randy with a grin.  “Cobra jerks, huh? That’s not very nice, Randy. We’re not jerks. We want to be your friend.  Come on, Tommy, let’s show him how friendly and hospitable we can be.”

They each put an arm around his shoulders and led him towards the back of the class.

“You know that’s why people call you Cobra jerks, right?” Becca asked, pointedly.

“Oh, come on, Becca, Randy is a bigger jerk than even Dutch,” Tammy spoke up.  “He popped my bra twice last week.”

“This is true,” Becca agreed.  “Well, I guess you sit here now.”

“I guess,” he laughed.  

Becca couldn’t help smiling back, even if he had been a bit of a jerk.  She rolled her eyes and turned to face the front of the class.

* * *

Becca had two classes with Bobby.  Three if you counted lunch, but she never sat with the Cobra Kais and their legion of fangirls, so she didn’t.  Girls who thought that because her dad was the Cobra Kai Sensei, she would know all the Cobra Kais and could introduce them.   She did know them, of course, she did, but not like that. They weren’t really friends. Well, except Jimmy. She was pretty good friends with Jimmy since he was in Show Choir with her and this year, they were library assistants in the same hour.  Still, she wasn’t about to give any of them dating advice.

She sat down with some other band students to eat.

“What is up with you and Bobby Brown?” Jackson Ryland asked her.  

“He asked me to the Halloween dance,” she replied.

“Is your Dad going to let you go?” he smirked.  

Becca felt her cheeks grow hot.  It was no secret that her parents were strict, and she didn’t mind that, but she hated when people teased her about it.  So, what if she had an early curfew? So, what if her parents had to know the people she was going out with? Why did everyone act like that made her a weirdo?  

“Yes, he's going to let me go, why wouldn't he?” 

“I just didn't think you were allowed to do anything,” he shrugged. 

“Shut up.” Becca rolled her eyes.  Okay, so maybe she’d also told Jackson that her Dad wouldn’t let her date him as an easy way of letting him down last year.

“Hey Becca.” Bobby said his tray down on the table and knelt beside her.  “Last Chance Theater is playing Star Wars this weekend. I thought since the dance is still 3 weeks away, maybe you’d want to go see it tomorrow?” 

Becca was surprised.  “Oh, um, I have to ask my parents. I think I may be babysitting tomorrow night, but if not, then sure.”

He smiled looking relieved.  “Great. I’ll call you tonight to work it out.”  He sauntered off to sit with Johnny, Ali, and Dutch.

“Well, there you go,” Jackson said, taking a bite of his hamburger.

“What?”

“He wants you to go to the Last Chance with him.”   


“I heard.  And?”   


“That’s where guys take girls, that they just want to make out with without being seen,” he shrugged.

“Whatever,” she replied shaking her head.  “He asked me to the dance. The whole school will see us at the dance.”

He gave a nonchalant shrug. “Unless he comes up with some reason why he can’t take you to the dance after tomorrow.”

“Like you know,” she shot back, giving him side eye.

“Every guy knows,” he smirked again with a chuckle.

“Whatever.”  She focused on her lunch, determined to ignore Jackson and his rude comments. Unfortunately, the thought that it was still all a joke wouldn’t completely go away.

* * *

She didn’t see Bobby again that day.  That did nothing to stop the nagging joke thought from driving her crazy.  It put her in a bad mood that was wearing off on the twins as they walked home all bickering with each other.

“Look!” Amy pointed at the Rolls Royce, complete with a very bored looking driver, sitting in their driveway.  Becca couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her lips, her bad mood falling away. They only knew one person who could afford that.

“UNCLE TERRY!” Emily and Amy took off running towards the house while she followed at a more sedate pace.  She picked up the backpacks the girls had dropped just inside the door and put them, along with her own, in the hall closet.  They knew better than to just drop them, mom would have a cow. Following the sound of giggles to the sunroom where the twins were vying for Uncle Terry’s attention, she found Amy in his lap, telling the completely disgusting tale of how she’d lost her loose tooth in an apple at lunch. Emily was bouncing from foot to foot, jabbering on about her horseback riding class.  Uncle Terry was smiling at both like these were the most interesting stories he’d heard in years. 

Becca leaned against the doorway and took in the scene.  Dad should have been at the dojo, but the three empty beer bottles beside him, not to mention, the half-empty one dangling from his fingers told that he wasn’t going there today.  She wondered why. Daddy never canceled Cobra Kai class. Not even when he was sick or hurt, he just made Johnny and Bobby lead the lesson. She eased away from the door and went to sit beside him on the sofa.  

  
“We’re home,” she smiled.  

“I see,” he replied.  “I’m home, too.”

“I see that,” she nodded.  “Why?”   


“Half the elementary school has the chicken pox,” he replied, taking another drink.  “After six mothers called me before noon, I decided to cancel the junior class so none of them get the older boys sick.  They have a tournament next week and some of them haven’t had chicken pox.” He paused for a moment and pointed at the twins who were still talking to Terry.  “They’ve had chicken pox, haven’t they?”   


Becca nodded, relieved to hear that Dad’s reason for canceling class had nothing to do with Mom or moving.  “I shared it with them years ago.”

“Nice of you,” he smiled.

She laughed and laid her head against his shoulder.  

“Hey! Miss America!  Terry exclaimed, looking up at her.  “What’s wrong with you? I got the cooties or something?  Get over here!” He held out his arms.

“You got the cooties,” she grinned with a nod.

“Cooties,” he scoffed, standing up and pulling her into a bear hug.  “Now you got the cooties too.” He sat back down on the sofa, tucking her into the crook of his arm.  “So, I’m trying to talk your old man into letting me take him and your mom out for dinner at some swanky place downtown, but he says they can’t go because they have those little humans who have to eat, and sleep, and bathe, and I think you have to walk them too?” He motioned at the twins.  

“Occasionally,” she replied, seriously.  “You should take me instead.”

“For your birthday like always, Princess,” he said, kissing her temple.  “Anyway, I was thinking, they trust you to feed, walk and bathe the miniature humans sometimes, don’t they?”   


“Sometimes,” she nodded, trying not to giggle.  “But I don’t want to babysit tonight. I’m already babysitting tomorrow.”

“Well, hey, listen, I wasn’t expecting you to do it for free,” Terry replied.  “I’ll pay you.”

“You’ll pay me?” She asked, knowing full well that Uncle Terry had no clue what to pay a babysitter.

“Yeah, sure, how much?” He asked, pulling his wallet from his pocket and taking a fifty-dollar bill from it.  “Is this enough?”

“Terry,” John started to object, but Terry held his hand up, stopping him.

“Hush, Old Man, this is my business deal,” he said.  

Becca eyed the bill suspiciously.  No way her dad was going to let her accept this.  “Can we order take out?”

“Sure,” Terry replied, pulling another twenty out and putting it with the fifty.  “I’ll even spring for it.”

She looked at John.  “Can we have a slumber party in yours and Mom’s bedroom?”  The little girls loved camping out in their parents’ room for some reason.

“No,” her father shook his head.  “But you can have a slumber party in the den.  You can even walk to the video store and rent some videos to watch.  Terry will pay.” He smirked at his friend. That’ll teach him to shush him.

Terry rolled his eyes but put a ten-dollar bill with the others.  

“Deal,” Becca declared snatching the money and ran upstairs, taking the twins with her to change out of their school clothes.

“Sucker,” John laughed.

“What?”   


“Cara and I pay her ten dollars a night to babysit.  You just paid her eighty.”

“What are you saying?  I overpaid?”

“Well, unless you plan on being out for the next eight nights, yes, you overpaid her,” John confirmed.  

“I paid what it cost to get what I wanted,” Terry shrugged.  “I would have paid a hundred.”

“She would have taken ten,” John laughed.  “Those girls have you whipped.”

“Like I’m the only one.”

* * *

“I can’t believe you climbed up her trellis,” Ali laughed.  She and Johnny were laying on the top bunk of Bobby’s bed while he was on the bottom.  They had been passing a joint back and forth. “What if you fell?”   


“We kind of wanted him too,” Johnny admitted, leaning over the side of the bed to grab the joint from Bobby.  “We wanted to hear him explain that.”

“Hush,” Ali elbowed him in the ribs.  “Why don’t you do sweet stuff like that?”   
  
“If I have to scale the wall to your room, it’s not going to be just to ask you out,” Johnny replied, grinning and looking at her suggestively.  

“Ugh,” she groaned, giving him another shove.  “Why do you say stuff like that? Be sweet. Like Bobby.”

“I’m always sweet,” Johnny grinned again.  “Besides, if Bobby’s so sweet, why doesn’t he have a girlfriend?”

“I’m working on it,” he protested.  

“You asked her to the Halloween Dance.  That doesn’t make her your girlfriend,” Johnny replied with a snicker.

“I asked her to the movies, too.”

“You did? When?”

“At lunch.”   


“I mean when are you going to the movies,” he clarified, rolling his eyes.  

“Oh, tomorrow.  If Sensei and Mrs. Cara says she can,” Bobby shrugged.  “Last Chance theater is playing Star Wars for the last weekend.”

This time it was Ali’s head that appeared over the side of the top bunk.  “Bobby! You didn’t?!” She cried.

“What?” He asked confused.

“You asked her to the make out movies,” Ali said, exasperated.  “And you haven’t even been on a real date. She’s going to think that you just want to…, screw around or something.”

“What?  Make out movie?  What are you talking about?” Bobby laughed, thinking she was joking. 

“Guys only take girls to the Last Chance to make out,” Ali replied.  “You’ve never heard that?”   


“Of course not,” Johnny laughed.  “Like he’s ever made out with anybody!”

“Yes, I have.  Shut up, Johnny!”  He sat up on his bed.  “I just wanted to see the movie again and I know Becca likes Star Wars, so I asked her to go with me.”   


“Yeah, well, I bet that’s not what she thinks,” Ali replied, taking the joint from Johnny.  “I bet you ten dollars that she says Sensei Kreese won’t let her go.”

“I’m going to call her,” Bobby said worriedly, grabbing his phone off the shelf.

* * *

When Becca had changed and supervised Amy and Emily in changing and putting their school clothes in the laundry, Terry was in the family room while John was getting more drinks from the kitchen.  She sat down on the sofa next to her Godfather and held up seventy of the eighty dollars he’d given her earlier.

“What’s this, Princess?” He asked, not taking the money but her hand and looking at the cash in it.

“A refund.”

“What refund?  You not going to babysit after all?  Did you get a better offer in the last twenty minutes?”  He let go of her wrist and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  

“No.  I’ll babysit,” she replied.  “But this is way too much. I only get ten dollars a night and Daddy will give us the money for food and movies.”

“Ah,” Terry nodded.  “Keep it. We made a deal.”

“No, we didn’t,” she laughed.  “I just wanted to see how much you would offer before Daddy told you to shove it and told me to babysit anyway.”

“I think he was going to do that at the start if I hadn’t smarted off,” Terry admitted.   “Anyway, I made a deal and I’m not going back on it.”

“Don’t be silly.  This is like eight times too much,” she replied.

“Oh!”  He said suddenly, his face lighting up with a smile.  “I get it! You think I paid you the price for babysitting.”

“Didn’t you?”   


“No.  I paid you for the value of spending time with your folks and doing something nice for them,” he said.

“I don’t get it?”   


“See, things have a price and they have a value and the value isn’t always the price.  The price of spending some time with John and Cara is ten dollars for a babysitter and the cost of the meal, right?”

“Right,” she replied, uncertainly.

“Right.  But the value of getting to spend some time with my friends and do something nice for them is way above that.  I paid you for the value you’re providing, not the price you normally charge. Get it?”   


“Yeah, I get that you’re crazy, Uncle Terry,” she laughed.

“Yeah, yeah,” he grinned.  “Put the money in your pocket, Princess.  Use it to buy that Princess Leia costume you’ve been saving for.”

She looked at him, surprised.  

“What?” He shrugged.  “You don’t think I know things?  I know things.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Speaking of your Mom and Dad, how are things?” He asked, quietly.

She shrugged and made the so-so gesture with her hand.

“Just?”  He made the sign back.

She bit her lip and nodded, not wanting to say too much.  

“Well, you know if it goes too bad, you can call me, right? I can come take your Dad out to cool down, or barring that, take you and the littles out until the fur stops flying,” he said, hugging her.  

He had grown up in a house like that, his parents always at each other and him.  It was awful. At least the Kreese girls had each other. He’d been an only child.  And he also knew that John and Cara didn’t take their frustrations with each other out on their girls, but he also knew the girl next to him had a habit of internalizing everything and trying to be a peacekeeper even to the detriment to her own peace.

“I know.”  She laid her head against his shoulder.  “It’s good right now, though.” She didn’t mention that it hadn’t been so good less than twenty-four hours before.

“You’re a real class act, Princess, you know that, too?”  He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead.

“I should.  You tell me all the time,” she grinned.

“I know things,” he repeated, returning her grin.  

The ringing phone ended the conversation, but John walked into the room and answered it before Becca could get to it.  He handed her the beer to give Terry.

“Hello,” he barked.

On the other end of the line, Bobby’s mouth went dry.  Sensei wasn’t supposed to be there. He was supposed to be at the dojo.  His class didn’t have a lesson today, but the junior class did. 

“Hello,” Kreese barked again.

Bobby swallowed hard.  “Um…uh…um…,”   


“Words, Brown,” Sensei interrupted him, obviously recognizing his voice.  “Use words.”

“Right,” he said, and while he could say words, his brain was too scattered, both by his lingering buzz and the shock of Sensei answering the phone, to make them coherent.  “Can.., I mean, May…, I mean…Sorry, May…”   


“Words that make sense, Brown,” Kreese growled.  He could hear Lawrence cackling in the background.

“Shut up, Johnny,” Bobby hissed before speaking into the phone again.  “Sorry, Sensei. May I speak to Becca?”

John looked at Becca who shook her head no.  “Sorry, she can’t talk right now. I’ll tell her you called.”

“Thank you,” Bobby replied politely before hanging up.  He laid back on his bed dejectedly. He didn’t know if he should try to call her back later or just forget it.  Maybe Ali was right, and he’d blown it. Or maybe he should just get rid of Johnny and Ali and go explain himself in person.  Even if that meant explaining himself in front of Sensei.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

I own nothing.

* * *

 

"Come on," Ali grabbed Johnny's hand pulling him with her as she climbed down from Bobby's top bunk. 'I think Bobby wants us to leave so he can go see Becca."

"Why?" Johnny joked. "I'll save him the trouble and kick his ass now and then we can just stay here and smoke some more.”

“I'm not going to get my ass kicked," Bobby rolled his eyes. "I'm just going to go talk to her."

"Yeah, yeah," Johnny laughed. "But Sensei is home when he should be at the dojo, so you know he's going to be in a bad mood. He's going to cream you.”

"Whatever,” he dismissed Johnny. Sensei didn't sound mad over the phone. He had actually sounded drunk. That could be worse than mad. Oh well. He had to try. Even if Sensei did pound him or Becca still said ‘No’. He didn't want her to think he’d been being a creep either way. He practically pushed Johnny out the door.

 

* * *

Becca was trying to teach the twins how to do cartwheels in the front yard when Bobby got to her house that evening.  She looked confused when he got off the bike and pulled his helmet off.

"Bobby?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you,” he said. "I think there was a misunderstanding about tomorrow. Can we talk?”

Becca looked back at the house and bit her lip.  She wasn't supposed to have boys over if her parents weren't home. Not that it had ever been an issue before. However, if they didn't actually go inside, then technically he wasn't 'over,' right? That was what she was going to believe anyway.

"Okay," she agreed, "But my parents aren't home so we can't go inside."

"That’s okay, we can sit on the steps," he said.  “If you want to, that is.”

“Sure," she smiled, leading him to the steps.

"You aren't supposed to have boys over when Mama and Daddy aren't home," Amy said crossing her arms across her chest.

“I'm not supposed to have boys in the house. We are clearly not in the house, so go play," she replied.

"You're supposed to play with us," Emily spoke up.

"I will in a few minutes. Go play, please," Becca pleaded.

"Fine," Amy conceded, grabbing Emily's hand and going back to the grass to turn more cartwheels.  "We'll watch them and if they kiss, we'll tell Daddy." 

Becca covered her face and shook her head while Bobby subconsciously shifted even further away from her.

“Um, where is Sensei?

"He and Mom went to dinner with a friend," she replied. "That's how I got stuck with them," she gestured to the twins.

"Is something wrong? I mean, Sensei doesn't usually cancel classes. He just gets Johnny or me to teach if he can't.”

"Chickenpox outbreak at the elementary school," she said. "A lot of the little boys have caught it so Dad canceled their class so they wouldn't spread it to yours. Apparently, some of you guys haven't had it."

“Yeah, Johnny and me," he replied eyeing the twins suspiciously.

"Don't worry," she laughed. "They're not sick. They had it years ago when I did."

“Oh, good," he smiled, looking relieved. "Um, So, um…, I wanted to talk to you because I think, I hope, that…," He stopped, suddenly embarrassed, maybe she’d said no because she didn’t like him and now here he was, putting her on the spot. "Look, I didn't know that Last Chance theater has a reputation. Ali told me about it. I didn't ask you for that, I promise…, It's just I wanted to see Star Wars again and I know you like Star Wars, so I thought you might like to see it, too. I promise I didn't ask you there to make out. If you still want to go, then I promise it'll just be to see the movie. No kissing or anything. I won't even kiss you goodnight, so no pressure and it’s alright if you say no." He dared to look up after getting it all out in a rush.

Becca smiled brightly. "Of course, I still want to go. I should have known Jackson was just being a jerk. I mean, I still have to ask Mom and Dad, but I don't see why they'd say no. They won't be home until late, but I can let you know tomorrow after lunch if that's okay?”

"That's great," he replied smiling brightly. He stood up. "I'll go. I don't want to get you in too much trouble. I'll call you after karate tomorrow."

"Okay. See you later."

“Bye girls," he said as he walked past them. He waved again before taking off on his bike.

“Come on, Girls," Becca called out, getting to her feet. "Daddy said we could walk to the video store."

"Can we ride our bikes? We promise to stop at every corner," Emily asked.

"No. Daddy said to walk and to hold your hands all the way there and back, because last time we let you ride your bikes there, you nearly got creamed by a car."

"I said we wouldn't do that again," she whined.

"We can stay here," Becca countered.

"We'll walk," Amy said quickly.

"Good," Becca replied. "Because Uncle Terry gave me some money to get us some take out. What do you want?"

"Pizza," Amy said.

"Donuts," Emily said.

“Donuts?" Becca shook her head. "We're not eating donuts for dinner."

"Why not?"

"Because Mom will kill me. What about the sandwich place across from the video store? We can also get chips and some of their cookies to eat while we watch our movies," she replied.

"Yeah," they agreed.

"Is Bobby your boyfriend now?" Amy asked as they walked along.

"No,” she said, biting her lip. "But we might go on a date if Mom and Dad say it's okay."

"When?" Emily asked.

"Tomorrow, to the movies and to the dance in a few weeks," she replied.

"Will he be your boyfriend after that?"

"I don't know. Someone's not your boyfriend just because you go on a few dates," she shrugged. “There’s more to it than that.”

"Do you want him to be your boyfriend?" Emily asked.

“I don't know. Maybe. That's why you go out on dates, to see if you like someone enough to be boyfriend and girlfriend," she replied.

"Well, we like Bobby," Emily declared, "He's a lot better than that Alex boy.”

"Alex was okay," she replied.

"But Bobby is nicer," Amy said.

"Yeah, he is." Becca smiled. Bobby was really nice.

* * *

Becca woke when she heard her parents come in. She turned over and blinked against the bright hallway lights. 

"How did it go?" John asked, pulling her blankets back up around her.

She yawned and gave a thumbs up. “It was fine. No fires or floods. Can I really keep all the money Uncle Terry gave me? Even with dinner and videos, it was still way too much."

"That is between you and him," he replied. "If you think you need to give it back, then do it."

“I tried. He wouldn't take it. He told me something about costs and values, then said to use it to buy my costume for the dance."

"Well, there you go. Sounds like it’s settled.”  Normally he would have said no and made Terry take it back, but as Cara pointed out, it didn’t hurt to let Terry do stuff like that occasionally. It was enough that she realized it was extra and she should be grateful.  “Just be sure you tell him thank you.”

“I will,” she promised since she couldn’t remember if she had already.

“Are you still planning on going with Bobby?" Cara asked, having tended to the twins before coming over to her. 

She nodded. "Oh yeah. He asked me to go to the movies with him tomorrow night. Can I go?" 

“Why wouldn't you talk to him this afternoon?” John asked giving his daughter a look.

“Just a misunderstanding.  He came by while you were at dinner," she admitted. "We stayed outside, and he was only here about five minutes. And he thought you were going to be here. Anyway, can I go?"

"We'll let you know in the morning,” he said, kissing her forehead. 

"Guess what?" Cara asked. "I got another nurse to work tomorrow, so you don't have to babysit. Why don't you and I take your sisters and get Halloween costumes.”

"Really? Yeah!" she smiled.

"Okay, Darling, we’ll go after breakfast.  Get some sleep," Cara said, hugging her, before standing up. 

“Goodnight," Becca smiled, seeing Cara reach for John's hand as they headed upstairs. Maybe whatever they had been fighting about was over and things would settle down for a while. That was the way it had always been. Everything would be fine, even great for months, or years, then something would set them off and they'd spend weeks, even months, fighting over everything.  Though it seemed like lately the fights lasted longer and the time between shorter, but she wasn’t going to worry about that now. She was just going to be happy that they were happy. She started to close her eyes again when she sat up suddenly. "Daddy! ”

"What?" He turned around, looking concerned.

"Tooth fairy,” she replied. "Amy lost a tooth at school."

“Right," he nodded, coming back to slip some coins under Amy’s pillow.  “Thanks, Princess. I’d forgotten.

“What would you do without me?" she smirked.

“Goodnight, Rebecca," he said, pointedly.

"Goodnight." She snuggled under her blankets and went back to sleep.

* * *

 

Becca tried to be patient the next morning as she waited for a chance to ask if she could go to the movies but it seemed like her parents were never going to stop talking. What all was there to say? 

Dad was going to the dojo. She and mom were taking the twins shopping, and they were all going to be home for lunch.  _ And _ Bobby was going to call her after lunch, and at this rate, she still wouldn't know what to tell him because they would still be talking about what everyone was doing today. Seriously!  How much was there to say?!

They thought they were being funny.  She knew they did by the little amused looks they kept shooting each other and while she would normally be thrilled to see them laughing and teasing with each other, today it was killing her. 

Finally, Cara winked and said, "I think Becca would like to ask us a question."

"You think? Too bad I have to go to work, isn't it?" He grinned.

“Daddy!" she exclaimed.

“Yes, you can go to the movies," he replied .

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" She hopped up and hugged him then Cara. "Thank you. May I be excused?"

Cara nodded and Becca ran up to her room.

“Does she really like him that much?” John asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" She smiled over her coffee cup.

"Ugh," he made a disgusted noise and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to work. I’m not ready for these conversations." He stood up, wiping his hands. “Little girls, you listen to Mama and Becca today." He ruffled their hair, then pulled Cara up from her chair and kissed her, making the twins cover their eyes and giggle. "I'll bring lunch home. You'll have your hands full with taking all three girls shopping."

"I knew there was a reason I married you,” she replied.  “Don't be too hard on Bobby today. At least, you know, let him live."

“No promises," he smirked.

“So, what do you want to be for Halloween?”  Cara asked the twins after he had left .

"Wonder Woman," Amy replied.

"The Incredible Hulk," Emily piped up .

“The Incredible Hulk is a boy," Amy deadpanned .

"So?" Emily challenged. "Becca says girls can be anything boys can be, right, Mama?"

"Right," Cara replied. "But if we can't find an Incredible Hulk mask, you'll have to wear a lot of green makeup and you hate that stuff. You might want to have a second choice."

"I'll be a doctor then," she decided. "Can I use your real stethoscope?"

"Sure, Honey. Run upstairs and get ready to go, girls. ”

* * *

 

Becca was so thrilled. Shopping had gone well, especially considering they had to take the twins with them.  She found everything she needed for her Princess Leia costume, even some really cool boots, and she had enough left over to buy a cute top and skirt to wear to the movies.

Amy had to settle for Supergirl, and Emily was a cross between the Incredible Hulk and a Doctor, with blue jean cutoffs, a mask, a white jacket, and Cara's stethoscope. They had insisted on 'trying on' their costumes for the last hour and Emily had already listened to everyone's heart at least twice.

Becca ran to answer the phone when it rang.  "Kreese residence, Becca speaking."

Bobby breathed a sigh of relief. He was happy she had answered. Four hours with Sensei was enough for anyone.  "Hey, Becca, its Bobby; I was just wondering if you had a chance to ask your parents about the movie yet?"

"Yes. They said I could go!” she replied, happily.

"Great! The movie starts at six, so I'll pick you up at five-thirty?" He suggested .

“Okay," she happily agreed. "I have to go help get lunch ready, but I'll see you tonight."

"Looking forward to it." She could hear the smile in his voice. "Bye, Becca."

"Bye." she hung up and practically danced down the stairs, stopping to hug John. "Hey, Daddy. Have you seen Dr. Hulk and Nurse Supergirl yet?"

“I just sent them upstairs to change.  Did you find what you wanted?"

"Yeah, Dad, we live in California. It wasn't hard to find a gold bikini," she grinned.

John narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.  “Just how badly do you want to go to this dance?”

“Chill,” she laughed.  “I’m kidding. It’s just a white dress, a belt, and some boots.”

“Go set the table before I change my mind,” he grinned, shaking his head.

* * *

It seemed like five-thirty would never get there and came all too sudden at the same time.  Bobby walked up to the Kreeses’ front door with a bit of dread. Sure, he had been on lots of dates. Well, maybe not lots, but enough that he shouldn't be nervous. But this wasn't any girl. This was Becca. He had liked her for over a year. Not that he'd been brave enough to tell anyone but Johnny that. He knew they would just tease him like they had today. Man, he'd really wanted to deck Dutch by the end of class, but he'd managed to keep his cool.

Then there was the fact that Becca's parents weren't just some girls’ parents. Mrs. Cara was always nice, but her Dad was Sensei, who was only ever cordial but distant at best. He was proud, sure, giving nods of approval, pats on the back, and even smiles during tournaments, or even just good matches in practice. But nice, or friendly, were not words he associated with the man. He rang the doorbell, hoping he wouldn't have to wait long for Becca to be ready.

Becca bounced down the stairs hoping to get to the door first. She rolled her eyes as John beat her to it.

"Dad…," she started to complain but stopped when he shot her a look. She knew that look. Complain and the whole thing was off. She rolled her eyes as she stopped and leaned against the stair rail. This was so ridiculous. It was 1983, not 1963. Okay, so maybe she understood with boys they didn't know well but they had known Bobby for years.

John opened the door.

"Hi…, um…, Hello, Sensei." Bobby said, "Is Becca ready?"

He didn't answer, just motioned for him to come inside, shutting the door behind him.

Bobby smiled at Becca, who was still standing on the stairs. She looked at her Dad, then rolled her eyes, letting him know this wasn't going to be easy.

Bobby grinned back. He knew it wasn't going to be. She walked down the stairs to stand beside him.

Sensei was still standing by the door with his arms folded over his chest. He still hadn't spoken and Bobby knew better than to speak first.

"Where are you going tonight?" Sensei asked him finally.

“To see Return of the Jedi at the Last Chance theater on Van Nuys," he answered

"Um-hmm," Sensei nodded. "Be home at eight-thirty."

"Dad, the movie won’t even be over until then," Becca protested.

"Nine," he replied.

"Mom!" Becca called down the hall for some backup.

"Johnny Ray!" Cara called back in warning.

"Fine. Nine-thirty," he said.

"My curfew is ten-thirty."

"Your curfew is when I say it is,” he shot back. "Do you want to go back to nine?"

"No sir," Bobby said quickly. "She'll be home at nine-thirty."

"Good," Kreese smiled in a way that made Bobby feel like he'd just passed some sort of test. Well, half of it anyway. The other half would be if she was actually home by nine thirty. John opened the door for them. "And Becca? Home means in the house.”

"Yes, Daddy, I remember," she smiled, sweetly.

"Have fun,” he replied watching them walk down the walk. At least, Bobby was taking it seriously, dressing nicely and opening doors for her. He watched them drive away as Cara walked up behind him and pushed the door shut as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Oh, come on, Johnny Ray," she laughed, pressing up on her tiptoes to place a kiss against the back of his neck. "It could be worse."

"Yeah, how's that?"

“It could be Dutch," she grinned.

"Hell, no," he swore, looking over his shoulder at her and laughed.

"Come play with your other girls," she laughed again. "You still have a few more years of being  _ their  _ favorite guy.”

* * *

 

"Sorry about that,” Becca cringed slightly as Bobby slid into the driver’s seat.

"Hey, no worries," he smiled. "It's Sensei. You didn't think I’d assume he’d make it easy, did you?"

"No, I guess not," she laughed.

"See? No problem."

Ten minutes into the movie Johnny, Dutch, Tommy, and a very apologetic looking Jimmy came in and took the seats, directly behind them.

“Great," Bobby muttered. "What are you doing here?" he hissed turning

around.

"Watching Star Wars,” Johnny smirked. "What are you doing here?”

"Just shut up and watch the movie,” Bobby replied.

"Oh, we will and we will watch you, like Sensei said to," Johnny replied, folding his arms across his chest, pleased with himself.

"No, he didn't!" Bobby insisted.

"If you say so," Dutch grinned, kicking Bobby's seat.

At that, Becca turned around. "That’s funny.”

"It is, isn't it?" Johnny grinned.

"Yeah, it is," she smirked. "It's hilarious that you think Daddy would actually trust  _ you  _ like that."

"Oh!" Dutch, Jimmy, and Tommy laughed.

Johnny rolled his eyes and huffed. "Just watch the stupid movie!”

"Masterfully done," Bobby nodded, his approval as they turned around.

"Thank you," she smiled.

The peace didn’t last long though, as a few minutes later, Becca felt something hit her hair.  She ran her hand through it, pulling out a piece of popcorn, throwing it back at Dutch. When pelting Bobby with Jujubees failed to get a desired reaction, they up the ante, making loud kissing and moaning sounds.

Becca could see Bobby’s hands tightening into fists.

“Ignore them,” she said, slipping one her hands into one of his.

“You can try,” Johnny shot back. 

Bobby looked at her and winked.  Taking the top off his drink, he turned quickly, pouring the whole thing in Johnny’s lap.  “Oops.” He smirked and sat back down as Johnny jumped to his feet, brushing the cold liquid and ice from his lap.

“Damnit, Bobby!” He swore.  “Now it looks like I pissed myself!”

Bobby looked over his shoulder laughing, “Yeah, it does.  You should go take care of that.”

Johnny raised a fist but just slammed it down by his side and swatted at Bobby’s head, which he ducked, then snarled at the others, “Let’s go.  This isn’t fun anymore.”

The other boys filed out of the row.

“Sorry,” Jimmy whispered as he walked by.

“Let’s go,” Johnny snapped again.

“Masterful,” Becca grinned, laying her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her.

* * *

They were standing on Becca’s front porch at 9:25. True to his word, Bobby hadn’t even tried to kiss her, but he was really regretting that deal now.

“I had a really nice time,” he said, feeling lame. 

“Me too,” she replied, looking down at their hands.

“We have a tournament next weekend, but I can’t wait for the dance.”

She looked up and smiled at him.  “You still want to go?”

“Are you kidding me?  Of course, I do,” he answered.

“Well, in that case, I better go inside,” she said.  “The 9:30 thing was a test. You know that, right?”

“I kind of figured,” he nodded.  “And I’d hate to fail it now.” He stepped closer and hugged her.  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” she replied, then quickly kissed him on the cheek before going inside.  She never said she wouldn’t kiss him, after all.

Bobby was still smiling when he got to his car.

“I’m home,” Becca called out.  She’d half expected her Dad to be waiting on the porch for her.

He put a finger to his lips as she walked in the family room, then pointed to little Jenny Bryant asleep in his lap.  So that’s why he hadn’t been at the door. She’d have to thank that kid as soon as Jenny could understand.

“When did we get her?” she asked, softly. 

“Darcy got called into work and Tom won’t get off for another hour or so,” he answered.   “Darcy called to see if you could babysit and well, you know they can’t leave her alone with Tom’s mother.”

Becca nodded.  Tom had been one of her Dad’s first karate students and had gotten really close to the family, probably due to his lack of one.  He’d also gotten his girlfriend Darcy pregnant when they were Seniors in high school. They’d quickly and quietly gotten married a few days after they graduated, and Jenny was the cutest baby ever with dark black hair and big blue eyes.  Becca babysat for them on Monday and Wednesday nights when they had night school and pretty much any other time, they needed someone. Tom’s mother lived with them but drank too much to be trustworthy and Darcy’s parents had cut off contact with her when she’d married Tom.

“Where’s Mom?” Becca asked.

“Putting the little girls to bed,” he answered.  “Want to wait for her dad with me?”

“Sure,” Becca smiled, sitting down on the sofa and curling up to watch whatever old John Wayne movie was on tv while they waited.  “So, can I go to the dance with Bobby?”

“Yeah,” he said, looking at the smile on her face.  “I guess Brown isn’t the worst guy you could date. Have fun.”

“Thanks, Daddy,” she laughed.  That was almost a compliment.

“Just don’t tell him I said that.”

“I won’t,” she promised, still smiling.  “I won’t let anyone know you aren’t as mean as they think you are.”  She pointed at Jenny who was snuggled against his shoulder, contently sucking her thumb. “You may have to talk to her about keeping the secret though.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
